Reason

Ye Chuan pocketed the silver coins, his steps light as he walked back.

Passing by the bakery, he not only bought two of the largest loaves of white bread and some milk, but also paid back the money he owed the bakery owner.

"Oh?" The owner was quite surprised that Ye Chuan repaid the money so quickly.

Because from the very beginning, he never expected Ye Chuan to return and pay off this debt.

"It seems you weren't lying," the owner said.

"Yes." Ye Chuan smiled.

Arriving at the familiar little wooden cabin, Ye Chuan raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Angelina, I'm back."

There was no movement inside.

Ye Chuan's heart skipped a beat. He knocked again, his voice a bit louder, "Angelina? Are you inside?"

Still no response.

"An..."

Soon, Angelina's little face peeked out from the crack of the door. Her long white hair was a bit messy, and her eyes were red, as if she had just been crying.

The moment she saw Ye Chuan, her tense body instantly relaxed, and she quickly opened the door.

"You're back," she said softly, her gaze falling on Ye Chuan's clothes, which were covered in mud and grass clippings.

"Have you... been working very hard?"

"I'm fine... I don't have to eat..."

"You don't have to... tire yourself out so much..."

She didn't ask what food Ye Chuan had brought, nor did she ask how much money he had made. Her first words were out of concern for whether he was tired.

Ye Chuan froze for a moment. He smiled and shook his head, holding up the oil-paper package in his hand, "It wasn't hard. Look what delicious food I brought you."

Entering the house, Ye Chuan placed the bread and hot milk on the table, then leaned the rusty iron sword against the corner of the wall.

Angelina noticed the scratches on Ye Chuan's hands. Although they weren't obvious, she still dug out the leftover herbs from yesterday from a corner, carefully applied them for him, and wrapped them with strips of cloth.

Her movements were very gentle and earnest.

"In the future... be careful," she whispered. "Don't hurt yourself."

"I know," Ye Chuan smiled and rubbed her head, handing a piece of bread into her hands. "Eat up, it's freshly baked and still warm."

Angelina took the bread and began to eat it in small bites.

Seeing Ye Chuan watching her with a smile, she immediately offered the half-eaten bread to his lips. "You eat too."

"I already ate. This is for you." Ye Chuan pushed it back gently.

"If you don't eat, I won't eat either." Angelina looked at him stubbornly.

Left with no choice, Ye Chuan took a small bite.

Only then did Angelina smile in satisfaction and lowered her head to continue eating.

After dinner, Ye Chuan cleared the table and brought over the small chair, preparing to make do for the night just like the previous evening.

"Um... don't sleep on the chair." Angelina stood beside Ye Chuan and tugged on his clothes. "You can sleep on the bed..."

"I'll just sleep on the floor." Angelina seemed unaccustomed to being taken care of, and her speaking pace quickened.

"No need, keep the bed to recover your injuries," Ye Chuan waved his hand.

Angelina didn't speak. She just stood silently in front of Ye Chuan, looking at him. "Then I... won't sleep either."

Her eyes were firm, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.

Looking at her frail figure, Ye Chuan sighed and could only nod. "Alright, then we'll sleep together."

The small bed was indeed very small. With the two of them squeezed together, they were practically shoulder to shoulder.

Angelina's body was very cold, like a block of ice. She carefully leaned against Ye Chuan, feeling the warmth radiating from him, and her nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed.

Ye Chuan could smell the faint scent of soap locust in her hair, but he didn't dare to move recklessly, afraid of touching her injured leg. He could only lie there stiffly.

It didn't take long before he heard the steady sound of breathing beside him.

Angelina had already fallen asleep. Her brows were relaxed, and a faint smile lingered on the corners of her mouth. She was sleeping exceptionally soundly.

This was the most peaceful sleep she had had in her entire life.

Ye Chuan noticed Angelina's small hand gripping the corner of his clothes. He looked up at the ceiling and suddenly felt that living like this wouldn't be too bad.

At the very least...

In this world, he had a little place to call his own.

...

Days passed by just like this.

Every morning, Ye Chuan would go to the mountain forest outside the town to hunt slimes, and return in the afternoon to turn in quests and sell magic cores.

His luck was good; he could hunt dozens of slimes every day, and he was making more and more money.

He bought Angelina a new linen dress, soft bedding, and regularly took her to the physician to change her dressings.

Angelina's leg was recovering well, and she could already walk slowly.

She had also changed a lot.

She was no longer that little girl with hollow, numb eyes.

She gradually spoke more, asking Ye Chuan what the mountain forest looked like, whether slimes really looked like mud, and if there were many powerful people in the Adventurer's Guild.

When Ye Chuan returned, she would carefully draw a basin of hot water for him to wipe his body, then give him a massage, mend his torn clothes, and even occasionally show a smile.

As days went by like this, Ye Chuan almost forgot about his amnesia.

Such peaceful and warm days seemed pretty good too.

Until that afternoon.

Ye Chuan deliberately finished work early and bought a roast chicken, wanting to give Angelina a surprise.

But when he walked to the door of his house, he heard the sounds of beating and scolding coming from inside, along with Angelina's suppressed crying.

"You little bastard! You dare hide money?!" a hoarse male voice roared.

"I raised you for so long, what's wrong with taking some of your money? Bring out the money now! Or I'll beat you to death!"

"I don't have any money..." Angelina's voice was tearful and filled with terror.

"No money? Then where did your new clothes come from?! You little slut, did you go out and sell yourself?!"

The house was a complete mess. The table had been overturned, and shattered dishes littered the floor.

A man with a full beard, reeking of alcohol, was grabbing Angelina's hair, dragging her across the cold floor, and raising his hand to strike her again.

There was a clear slap mark on Angelina's face, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her long white hair was a tangled mess, and her eyes were filled with despair and fear.

The moment she saw Ye Chuan rush in, the despair in her eyes instantly turned into surprise, which was then quickly replaced by deep worry.

"Run!"

The man turned his head and saw Ye Chuan, a flash of ferocity crossing his drunken eyes.

He let go of Angelina's hair, pointed at Ye Chuan, and cursed:

"Who are you? This is my daughter, I'll beat her however I want! Get out! Or I'll beat you too!"

He was Angelina's father, Holkin.

The bastard who had run away from his gambling debts and abandoned his daughter.

Ye Chuan didn't speak.

He stared at Holkin, his fists clenching until his knuckles cracked, the anger in his eyes practically bursting into flames.

Especially when seeing Angelina, who had started to gain weight under his care and whose wounds had been healing, now lying on the floor with a bruised and swollen face, curled up and trembling, the killing intent in Ye Chuan's eyes practically overflowed.

"Buzz—"

His body reacted faster than his rational mind, moving so swiftly that even he couldn't track the speed of his own strike.

By the time Ye Chuan snapped back to his senses, the head of the man in front of him had already been severed.

Blood pooled all over the ground.